Instead of Excalidraw, try one of these 11.
Every alternative is lined up against Excalidraw on what people actually switch for: price, open source, self-hosting, offline use and platforms. Excalidraw sits in the first row, so you can see what you give up.
Alternative
Price
Open source
Self-host
Offline
Platforms
Likes
ExcalidrawWhat you have now
Hand-drawn style whiteboard, free and open source.
PriceFree
Open sourceYes
Self-hostNo
OfflineNo
Platforms
Web
Miro#1
Infinite canvas for brainstorming and workshops.
PriceFreemium
from $8/user
Open sourceNo
Self-hostNo
OfflineNo
Platforms
Web · Win · Mac · iOS · Android
LikesVisit ↗
draw.io#2
Free, open-source diagramming for any flowchart.
PriceFree
Open sourceYes
Self-hostNo
OfflineNo
Platforms
Web · Win · Mac · Linux
LikesVisit ↗
Diagramming and visual collaboration for teams.
PriceFreemium
from $9/user
Open sourceNo
Self-hostNo
OfflineNo
Platforms
Web
LikesVisit ↗
Dia#4
Classic open-source editor for UML, flowcharts and network maps.
PriceFree
Open sourceYes
Self-hostNo
OfflineYes
Platforms
Win · Mac · Linux
LikesVisit ↗
tldraw#5
Infinite canvas toolkit for whiteboards and apps.
PriceFree
Open sourceYes
Self-hostNo
OfflineNo
Platforms
Web
LikesVisit ↗
Xournal++#6
Pen-and-paper note taking with PDF annotation and pressure input.
PriceFree
Open sourceYes
Self-hostNo
OfflineYes
Platforms
Win · Mac · Linux
LikesVisit ↗
OpenBoard Whiteboard#7
Free open-source interactive whiteboard for classroom teaching.
PriceFree
Open sourceYes
Self-hostNo
OfflineYes
Platforms
Win · Mac · Linux
LikesVisit ↗
DeepNotes#8
Encrypted visual note-taking app with infinite nested canvases.
PriceFreemium
Open sourceYes
Self-hostNo
OfflinePartial
Platforms
Web · Win · Mac · Linux · iOS · Android
LikesVisit ↗
Linwood Butterfly#9
Cross-platform notebook for sketching and handwritten ideas.
PriceFree
Open sourceYes
Self-hostYes
OfflinePartial
Platforms
Web · Win · Mac · Linux · iOS · Android
LikesVisit ↗
Whimsical#10
Visual workspace for flowcharts, wireframes, and sticky notes.
PriceFreemium
Open sourceNo
Self-hostNo
OfflinePartial
Platforms
Web · Win · Mac · Linux
LikesVisit ↗
quiver diagram editor#11
Web editor for commutative diagrams with LaTeX export.
PriceFree
Open sourceYes
Self-hostNo
OfflineNo
Platforms
Web
LikesVisit ↗
How to read this. “Yes” means fully supported by the maker. “Partial” means it works with caveats. Likes reflect community popularity; vendors can’t pay for them or for placement. How we compare.
Excalidraw alternatives at a glance
Excalidraw is a free whiteboards app. We compared 11 alternatives: 8 are open source, 7 are completely free, 1 can be self-hosted and 3 work fully offline. The most popular is Miro, with 920 likes.
Best open-source optionDia
Classic open-source editor for UML, flowcharts and network maps.
Free · Open source · Works offlineBest to self-hostLinwood Butterfly
Cross-platform notebook for sketching and handwritten ideas.
Free · Open source · Self‑hostable